Installment 4 May 26th Larapinta - Karlgoorlie

Right folks, the latest instalment.

If memory serves me correctly the last email we were down town Alice about to set off on the Larapinta trail.
So...We got up at some silly o'clock to get picked up to be dropped some 70km west of Alice Springs. The bus company rolled up in a brand new Landcruiser, and we were told that we'd be picking up 2 more people and it was a tour, with us being dropped off halfway through the tour, and weren't we lucky to get a free tour. Within 15 minutes in the car, (7.15am) the woman (presumably in her late 40's) had admitted that she had run away to Alice springs to escape a marriage that went haywire. Joy, this was the equivalent of my hunt in Los Angeles for a barperson to tell me that they were actually an actor and this was the day job. Anyway. 3 stops later and an awful lot of confused geological information and we were dropped at Standley Chasm, named after the English teacher that first tutored the local aboriginal children. Though no-one could tell me if Chasm was her first name or surname.

After coffee and pies we set off and spent the night in the middle of rocky valley. There was no water on this leg of the hike so we were lugging an extra 8 litres on top of the pitted prunes.































































The next day we rose to the highest point - about 1100 metres and the climb actually got a bit technical which was exiting. We dropped down again and then slugged it out with the flies for 18km.
We spent the evening boiling water from a tank at the campsite, because you always forget something, and this time it was the water purification tablets.
































The next day was another slog in the desert, and another camp in the middle of nowhere.


The last day bought us in to Alice Springs by the Telegraph station, a museum explaining how Alice came to be. So we joined the tourists and I smiled enigmatically as if the flies around my bum weren't really there and the really bad smell was someone else.

No dingoes or carpet pythons observed, dammit.

We thought we'd hole up in Alice and do our washing, internet, Royal Flying Doctors museum etc for 2 nights and went out that night for a few beers and a feed at the working mans club, I had a 500gm steak and Siobhan had Reef and Beef (prawns on top of a steak) but neither of us could manage the steak ice - cream.

The next day we managed some of the tasks, clearly not the internet bit, and the Mundine Vs Green fight was on so we thought we'd have a couple of beers and get up early and head off to the parks. So 12 hours later we were chucked out of the local backpackers party bar as it shut, both drunk enough to believe we were the best dancers in town. Needless to say I crawled into reception and booked us another night to recover, but as you know, Leo Sayer can make an appearance in these cases, and another day got lost in time.
Anthony Mundine (Choco - his nickname due to his aboriginal heritage as I was informed on asking) won on points if anyone is interested.

So eventually we left Alice on a day which eludes me, via KFC and bought a pile of world cup literature, and headed to the Ormiston Pound. Nice campsite, but we were unfortunately hemmed between 2 caravans one had "Don't panic God’s in charge" and the other "Jesus is cool" and suffered the witticisms of the complete twunt that found it funny to tell the nice German family that if they didn't clean the BBQ someone would smash their windows.
How Christian of him.
However the rock wallabies that hung out on the local, um rocks, they, well, rocked. Probably my favourite Aussie animal to date.















Next up was Palm valley and some superb 4x4 action in an old river bed. We got swamped by the tour buses a bit here, please don't anyone be tempted to go on the Remote Outback Cycling Tour, the 5am singing as they joyfully left the campsite on a Sunday morning is not endearing. Dingo spotted in the campsite, and heard in the night, though they do sound like a parody of themselves, and we are convinced a dingo impersonator is doing the rounds.

























And now the Bitchimin begins. 600Km to Marla, then 300km to Coober Pedy. The town were mad max is filmed. We found ourselves an underground
campsite as you do and pitched the tent. We then went to look at the golf course, a grassless exact replica of St Andrews, where you take a piece of synthetic turf around with you, and the greens need to be raked before shots. They also play at night with lit up golf balls. Next was the house of Crocodile Harry, and 83 year old bloke that has plastered his underground dwelling with nikkers of women and photos of them with their boobs out. For 2 dollars, you invited to sniff/look at the exhibits. We then went to the underground church, underground Bookshop, etc etc etc.


















































Next day we cut the corner off and followed a 4x4 track for about 300km, seeing just one other car, this was remote country.
We then headed out into across the Nullabor. 200km later in the dark we attempted to find a national park by the sea, after much toing and froing we found followed a track till we saw a camping sign and a clearing. We stuck the tent up a bit unclear on what we were surrounded by, but we could hear the sea. We woke up for sunrise to find we were in the middle of enormous sand dunes right by the sea, quite stunning.



















Next up 600km to a non descript spot, stopping to see whales at Head of Bight, and the next day 720 km to Kalgoorlie.

Being the tourists we are we like to immerse ourselves in the local culture. So we watched the Australia Greece soccer friendly in the pub, and then went into a skimpy bar.
Siobhan then enjoyed watching me squirm as I had to buy round after round from girls with only silver stickers the size of a 50p piece to cover their boobs.
All this whilst surrounded by young men in their hard Yakka mining work gear. So here we are, what next, who knows, the world cup is 2 weeks away and we need a location and a TV (as if we don't have enough shit with us as it is)Till next time, over and out. Outback Mike and Remote Area Siobhan.